Review-Mirror

A proposed change to the Ontario Building Code would give septic system owners the responsibility of having proof their sys- tem had been pumped out every five years. The wording of the pro- posal has Tay Valley and Rideau Lakes objecting to the proposed change. Tay Valley Township is distributing resolutions around the province for support in their opposition to the implementation. Tay Valley Township has reacted to the proposal with a call to the province to identify a more compre- hensive implementation strategy. "The Township is opposed to mandatory septic pump outs on a five year arbitrary time frame rather than an evidence based approach through testing sludge levels," wrote Tay Valley Reeve Keith Kerr. He said the Mississippi Rideau Septic System Office estimates it would require at least a .5 equiv- alent position to monitor the paperwork and track or enforce compliance unless an application is created for the pumpers to submit reporting. Rideau Lakes Town- ship is sending the province a letter object- ing to the across-the- board nature of the pro- posal. Mayor Ron Holman is Thursday, March 9, 2017 Serving North Leeds and area since 1893 Vol. 126, No. 9 $1incl. tax Canada Post Contract No. 40021501 A group of descendants of survivors from the 1849 shipwreck The Hannah were among the 130 people who attended a screening of the film at Legion 542 on Friday night. They were joined by the film's producer Brian McKenna, second from right, who discussed the film and answered questions afterward. The Westport Heritage Committee also ended up with $250, after all expenses, to put toward future Cana- da150 events. 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage Soho's Self Storage 75 units from 6'x6' to 12'x36' Easy year round access right in Westport 43 Bedford St., Westport 613-273-8848 soho@rideau.net Municipalities object to mandatory, across-the-board septic pumpouts Mirror The Review By Howie Crichton The Review-Mirror Westport Council final- ly got the news that their proposed wastewater pro- cessing system has received approval by the province. Aecom and the Min- istry of the Environment, after several months of back and forth, still have a few wrinkles to iron out but they won't affect the potential start of construc- tion this spring. "It did take longer than expected but we have it in hand," Aecom's Craig West told Council Monday night. The estimate of what the village has left to spend to get the new filter bed system up and running sits at $2.1 million. The plan was to have about 90 per cent of that covered by the provincial grant that was turned down late last month. West laid out the pro- posed schedule and esti- mated costs for council Monday night. Tenders would be called in early April with construction taking place from May to the end of August with the system up and running by Aug. 31. The village has already paid for about half the fil- ter sand ($610,000), a new hydro line ($107,000) and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the environ- mental assessment, engi- neering and preliminary design work. MOE has approved the plans, with future site Leeds Grenville MPP Steve Clark went to bat for rural schools facing clo- sure last Thursday with a presentation to Upper Canada District School trustees at a special meet- ing of the board. Presentations to the board were made at meet- ings last Wednesday and Thursday in advance of a final decision on a staff report that already cut the potential number of school closings from 29 down to 12 including seven in Leeds Grenville. The Board will make their final decision March 23. Clark and other MPPs are calling for a moratori- um on school closures across the province, which was a subject of debate in the Legislature at Queen's Park Tuesday afternoon. Last Thursday, at the meeting in Kemptville, the MPP was looking for support to slow down what he says is a flawed process, to give more time for communities and the Board to work together to find solutions. "How are we going to attract new businesses or new families or encourage those here to stay if one of those partners is sending a message that there is no future," he said. "If you agree with me that rural and small schools are important and that we need a provincial strategy to support their future how in good con- science can you take that future away from so many communities?" said Clark, who from the beginning of the process has asked •Continued on page 3 •Continued on page 7 Rideau Lakes Building Centre YOUR TRUSTED BUILDING SUPPLY PARTNER 7719 Hwy. 42, Crosby 613-272-0209 www.RideauLakesBuildingCentre.com Special Offer Ambiance 100% Hardwood Pellets $ 5. 69 per bag when purchasing a skid of 75. *Delivery available Construction could start by early May Price tag to complete Westport sewage upgrade pegged at $2.1 million Clark asks Board for moratorium on rural school closings Range •Self Clean •Hidden Bake Element •Express-Select® Controls Regular 1099.00 Model #CGEF3030PW $ 899 00 Refrigerator •Smooth White Doors •2 Spillsafe® Glass Shelves •Freezer Shelf Model #CGTR1825SP $ 899 95 Take Both Pieces for $ 1698 00 Continuing a 30 year tradition serving North Leeds - Delivery & Set Up Available Call 359-5660 53 Main St., Elgin Duncan ' s APPLIANCE SALES & SERVICE •Continued on page 7 Legion 542, 2-6 p.m. Westport's own Sunday in the Country

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